Mattole River

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The Mattole River is a river on the north coast of California. A short section of the river flows through upper Mendocino County, but the vast majority of its 62-mile (100 km) run is through Humboldt County. The river and its 74 tributaries drain about 304 square miles (787 square km), including the eastern side of the King Range, and flows through Mattole Valley before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. For most of its length, the river is only a few miles (~6-7 km) east of the King Range National Conservation Area. About halfway to the ocean, near Honeydew, California, the river passes by Humboldt Redwoods State Park.

Areas in the Mattole River watershed are undergoing restoration to repair habitat that was either damaged by primative forest management practices or damaged by poor road contruction techniques.

The Mattole River has been declared a 303(d) impaired waterbody that flows into a Marine Protected Area (Punta Gorda State Marine Reserve).[[1]]

The Mattole Restoration Council, the Mattole Salmon Group, Sanctuary Forest, the Mill Creek Watershed Conservancy, the Upper Mattole River and Forest Cooperative and the Mattole River and Range Partnership fosters the Mattole River habitat restoration work and serves as a model for other communitees who wish to work cooperatively to repair anadromous salmonid habitat.[[2]]

Communities, from north to south, closely associated with the Mattole River are Petrolia, Honeydew, Ettersberg, Thorn Junction, and Whitethorn.

Arthor W Way County Memorial Park is adjacent to the river, and lies on the south bank.